Alexander hay



A. HAY.

Car-Axle Box.

` No. 26,352. r l Patented Dem-6. 1859.x

7631255565 Zeni?? NJETERS. PHOTO-LITHGRPHER, WASHKNGYON D C ALEXANDER HAY, orPHILADELDHIA", PENNsYLvANIA BEARING Eon EAILnoAD AND OTHER iyrAcnrNEEY.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 26,352, dated December ,m6, 1859.

To all lwhom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ALEXANDER I-IAY, of the city of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a new and improved mode of constructing and securing the bearings of axles within the journal-' boxes of locomotive-engines and railroadcars and which is also applicable to` all axles and all other shafting; and I do hereby declare that the followlng is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had t0 the accompanying drawings and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

My invention consists in surrounding the bearings of railroad journal boxes with vulcanized india rubber or other suitable elastic material is applicable to any or all journal boxes. I therefore claim no particular mode of making the box itself. In ordinary railroad journal boxes, the bearing for the axle which is generally made of brass, or of brass lined with Babbitt metal, lits in and rests against the sides and top of the box, and

` being pressed up by the axle is thus held in place-*see Figure l, representing a common box. This leaves no play for the bearing which is thus confined by the journal box, and owing to the inequalities of the track and the curves on the road, subjects the bearings and also the axles to a great strain and pressure at particular points, which causes the bearings to wear unequally and rapidly. Many attempts have been made to remedy this but the appliances are complicated and expensive, and have not answered the desired purpose. To remedy these defects I embed or surround the bearin with vulcanized india rubber, or other suitable elastic material within the journal box, by interposing it between the bearing and sides, and top, and ends of the journal box, for the purpose of enabling the bearing to accommodate itself by yielding to every strain of the axle whether vertical, lateral, or end thrusts. In order completely to embed the bearing in the rubber, there should be room within the journal box suflicient to surround the bearing with the rubber, and thus accommodate the end play of the axle, as well as any lateral strain-the object being, to make the bearing move with the axle, and

` thus wear equally. The advantage of this will be readily acknowledged by any one who has observed how rapidly and unequally the bearings of locomotives and railroad cars now wear from the strains and torsion to which they are subjected in turning curves,

and from the constant lateral motion of the train from one side of the track to the other, produced by the conicalformof the flanges" of the wheels. j surrounding the bearing, is only limited by the size of the bearing,` and size of the jour#` nal box, `and may even inordinary boxes be interposed between the bearing andt-op of the box of suflicient thickness to makea good spring. If thebearings are oiled fromf l the top of the box a metal tube should pass through the rubber to conductthe oil to the i l, represents l a common journal.` 3 r bearing. Fig. box, the bearingfitting up close in the top of the box.-In" Fig. 2,` B,` represents .the bearing, and C, C, the india rubber in which the ring around this with the four small pro-f` l it is confined. Fig. 3 shows the axle D, and

jections the journalbox of a common car-` riage with the rubber outside of it.

I do not claim as my invention the inter` posing of india rubber with a view topref compound rails for I railroads, in railroad l,

chairs, in railroad wheels between the tread I j and rim, and also `at other points of the wheel, and also in common carriage wheels, &c &c.

My inventlon consists elasticity of the rubber will give to thejourout, but upon thrusts bein giveil` the wheel" i either inwardly or outwar l from running `5` readjust itself. Iffthe rubber around the." journal box was made concave on its outer .j j: side, and the part of the hub in whichit` j,

over stones the journal box would"readily;`

rests, convex, it could not by any pulling or thrusting of the axle be displaced, but in order so to place `it,"it may be necessaryto". make the hub in two parts.` When arranged "l l `60 The thickness of the rubber `so vent vibration for `this has been done` in]` in providing ayielding motion for the bearlng in every direction, in order to make it wear equally. Itl j produced by the contact of, metal end, and the rubber be conned between the l f flanges andbetweenfthebox and theouterj circumference of the hub, "so `that whenfthe Q wheel is placed on the axle `and secured,the d nal box end play, forthe rubber `being secured within thejhulo,"` it cannot be pulled as above described, although the rubber is other suitable elastic material so as to cause 10 confined between the anges on the ends ofv them to yield in every direction When subthe journal boX which is secured in theindia ected' to strains and thrusts and readjust rubber, it has every motion Which the bearthemselves upon the pressure being removed 5 ing for the railroad car has. substantially as described.

What I claim and desire to secure by Let- ALEXANDER HAY. ters Patent is- Witnesses:

Embedding the bearings of journals or WILLIAM C. PECKHAM, surrounding the same With india rubber or A. S. KELLOGG. 

